The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-10-27
us well as on the product OF the pauper,
.,.,.l LIZ

buL Say luc pIOtGCLlOnlStS, are not
manufactured. articles cheaper than
they were before the war; Yes, some
are, and some are not, but those that
are cheaper are not so on account OF
the tariff, but in spite OF ii. Improved
machinery and cheaper transportation
are what make the difference.
Take the tariff off and YOU will see
what happens, as we do now in salt and
quinine.
The fathers of the Republic under
stood the evils OF high tariff perfectly
well and would have none OF it.
Franklin said, freedom is the indis-
putable principle upon which the sue
cess OF trade must depend, AS clearly rs
an open road tends towards a safe and
speedy intercourse nor is there
great r enemy than cons,raint. When
the Government has been solicited to
support manufactures by encourage
mcnt, in money, or by imposing duties
on the importation of such goods, it has
generally been refused on this principle,
that if the country is ripe for the man
ufacture it may be carried on by private
persons to advantage, and if not, it is
folly to think OF forcing nature"
Even Alexander Hamilton, who was
the father OF the Federal party, an Il
through it Of the Whig and Republican
parties, declared against a high tariff,
and declared that, aexorbitant Duties on
imported articles would beget a general
spirit of smuggling, which is always pre-
judicial to the fair dealer and eventually
to the revenue itself; they tried to render
other classes of the community tribut-
ary, in sn improner degree, to the man
uiacturing clas es. to whom they give a
premature monopoly of the markets
they sometimes force industry out of
the most natural channels into Others,
in which it flows to less advantage and
in the last place, they oppress the
merchant"
So strongly were the early fathers i'm
buel with this idea that they embodied
it in the constitution of the United
States, by restricting taxation for pure
ly public purposes, but this restric-
nirious doctrine of "a tariff for revenue
with incidental protection" But now
that Republicans boldly declare them
selves, as General Grosvenor did two
years ago at their state Convention, in
favor of "a tariff for protection, with
revenue as an incident" there ia no
reason why the constitutional restric-
ton should not be enforced.
The question has never been made
directly before the Supreme Court, but
indirectly the principle has been fully
affirmed.
The city of Topeka, Kansas, under an
act of the legislature ofthat state passed
in 1872, voted to give, and with the
consent OF a majority OF its electors did
give 100000 to an iron bridge company.
ON condition that the latter established
nnd operated their shops within the
limits of the city. When an attempt
was made to meet this expenditure by
taxation, the power of this city, as well
as OF any political organization in the
United states-municipal. state or
fe 'eral-to levy taxes for any such
purpose as the encouragement of man
ufacturing enterprises was denied, and
the question thus raised was finally
carried to the U. S. Supreme Court for
ahiudication- The court, with but one
dissenting opinion, absolutely and un.
qualitiedly decided the question in the
negative, and Incorporated in its de
ciSion the following statement:
TO lay with one hand the power O
the government on the property of the
citizen, and with the other To bestow il
upon favored individuals to aid private
enterprises and build up private for
tunes is none the less robbery because i
is done under the forms OF Law and j.
called taxation. This is not legislation
1t is q decree under legislative forms
Nor is it taxation. Beyond cavil
there can be no lawful tax, which is moi
laid for public purposes"
We see therefore that this perniciou.
system Of protection, for the sake q
protection, is really under the ban o
the law, and if the law cannot lie en-
iorced by the courts, it ought to be en-
forced by an outraged people.
Here we are in a country which has
been blessed with the bounties OF nature
beyond any country on the globe, aud
yet through the pernicious system oil
tariff-prOtection these bounties, for the
most part have been largely nullifed.
Take for example our mines of cop.
per. Before the war copper came in
from all countries free of tariff-duty and
was sold at fair price, but in 1861 the
Michigan copper syndicates seized the
opportunity of placing upon it the
patriotic duty of ) cents a pound o,
300 per top: which was practically pro.
hibttorY and sent the price skyward Sc
that ship-oYners for many years found
it advantageous to send vessels to Scot.
land and return, in order to get them
copper bottomed,
So with the metal nickel so largely
used in the arts; before the war it was
comparatively cheap, and came from
abroad, but during the war rich nj ina
OF nickel was developed in Pennsyl-
vania and the consumers OF nickel were
happy in the expectation OF a cheap Il
article at home, but no sooner was its
value made; evident than it went into
the hands Of a syndicate, aud through
the help Of Thad. Stevens in congress
protection duty OF so cents pound was
put upon nickel and the price went up
10 the stars, AMI nickel is now monop-
| oily substantially in the hands OF one
ma II, by the name OF Robinson, |
believe, who OF course is protected
| millionaire,
So with borax; we used to get it
largely from abroad at very reason
| able price, but in an evil hour q whole
lake oil borax was discovered in Nevada,
and OF curse it WAS seized by a syndi-
cate, AMI by The aid OF a tariff duty of
10 cents pound was male a monopoly,
and borax also went up to the stars in
price.
And so with many other natural
bounties, they are made a curse in
stead Of blessing by this device Of Satan
known as a protective tarifi,-and SO /
|
outrages oil the protective system, and
show how II has weighted our progress,
but time will not permit.
That We have made progress magnif-
icently Notwithstanding this weight, is
all very true but it has been made in
spite oil the tariff, and not an account oil
it. Let Us take of the weight and let
the world see what the young giant
America, can do unhampered.
| This is precisely what the Democratic
party proposes 10 do. and it will never
rest until II u accomplished,
| The Democr attic party as an organiza.
tion has always been right upon this
| question, and whenever any of its
memb; rs have been otherwise they
| have been aliens and not citizens in the
Democratic commonwealth and need
naturalization.
Hear it's declarations in its first
platform under Jetfersan, in 1900, iy
flung its banner 10 the breeze with the
inscription Free commerce with al
nations"
So in 1886 it declared Hostility tG
any and all monopolies by legislation
because they are in violation OF the
equal rights Of the people.
"The true foundation Of Republican
Al - =